Luna and Lupin and Detention
by Ocean Eyed Redhead
Summary: Just a oneshot about Luna serving a Snape assigned detention with Professor Lupin. They have a simple conversation about werewolves, Luna's reputation as being 'loony' and their pasts. However, does Luna know something that Lupin hopes she doesn't?


Just a little one shot. I got this idea out of nowhere and loved it. If there was a student who knew Lupin was a werewolf, could keep it a secret AND accept him it would definitely be Luna Lovegood.

*LUNA AND LUPIN AND DETENTION*

Remus Lupin looked up from his gradebook that he had laid across one of the student desks to see something odd. Luna Lovegood was skipping into his classroom, hugging a set of books to her chest. It was odd for two reasons.

1-It was Luna Lovegood who was notoriously odd.

2-She skipping into detention.

Remus had not assigned the detention and hardly ever did. However, his lack of experience with detention did not prevent him from noticing the peculiarity of someone skipping to it. He had seen James and Sirius attend numerous times with shoulders slumped and a look of dejection on their face. Luna Lovegood was wearing that somber grin she wore on a constant basis as she entered. Her turnip shaped earrings bounced with every step she took.

She slowed to a halt before him.

Remus stood up straight, hands in the pockets of the shabby sweater he was wearing.

"Welcome, Miss Lovegood. Why don't you take a seat? Anywhere you're comfortable," he said, gesturing to the classroom.

She nodded promptly and took seat at the desk directly in front of him. His lip quirked up in a smile as Luna sat with erect posture, hands folded in her lap as she stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Her wand was tucked securely behind her ear, the tip buried in her white blonde hair somewhere.

"Miss Lovegood, may I ask exactly what you did to get yourself in this predicament?" Remus asked walking to the blackboard and erasing what had been on there. "You ARE a Ravenclaw. Your house tends to stay out of trouble. Usually Gryffindors are the residents of detention."

"Well, Professor Snape and I had a disagreement," she shrugged lightly.

Remus leaned against the wall, lazily. He was still exhausted from the transformation just days ago.

"When was this?"

"When he was teaching your class a few days ago."

'Why did my payment for the Wolfsbane Potion have to be letting him teach the days I was out?' he thought resentfully.

Luna removed her wand from behind her ear and started levitating a quill lazily. She raised it, then dropped it, catching it mid-air and levitating it once more.

"What did you two disagree about?"

Remus crossed to the stairs that led to his office and took a seat, gazing at her curiously. Luna's eyes always held such kindness. Yes, they were large and unusual with their icy blue coloring that made them look almost transparent, but the compassion within made none of that matter.

"Well, he was teaching us about werewolves-"

"He was teaching you about what?" Remus asked, his jaw dropping just slightly.

He snapped it back into place. Hermione had informed him during today's lesson that Snape had jumped ahead in the text to Nocturnal Beasts, however he had with the Second Years as well? Had he jumped ahead with every year? Severus never ceased to amaze Remus with his plans to sabotage his happiness all because of Sirius and James tormenting him when they were children.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I did try and warn him that we hadn't even started that chapter, but he didn't listen. That's the first time he warned me not to speak out, you see," she informed. "Then I decided that I ought to ask him questions. I might as well get something out of the lesson is he insists on teaching it, you know?"

Remus shrugged in ambiguous agreement. He was afraid to hear what she had learned. Luna was very bright and if Severus's plan to have Lupin's condition discovered in anyway aided her, she knew. Miss Lovegood was quite clever for a second year. For any year really. Her open heart and open mind certainly assisted that.

"Well, what did you ask that you got you into detention, Miss Lovegood?"

"You can call me Luna, Professor."

The corner of Lupin's lip quirked up in a small smile.

"What did you ask that got you into detention, _Luna_."

"I asked if werewolves should be under the Nocturnal Beasts section of our books since they are technically human. He said yes. Then I asked why Vampires, fairies and mermaidS were under Semi-Human Beasts and werewolves weren't."

There was a pause in which Lupin awaited her to conclude the story, but she continued to thoughtfully levitate the quill. Then he came to the shocking realization that he had given her detention for that observation. He hated Remus that much? That the thought of a person considering him NOT a beast made him send someone to detention.

'He doesn't despise what you are. He despises you. Despises you for what James and Sirius used to do,' he thought.

Lupin stood, arms folded and his brow cocked interestedly as he slowly approached the spot just before Luna.

"You don't believe werewolves to be beasts?"

"No, sir. They are poor souls though," replied Luna solemnly.

"You feel sorry for them."

Luna slowly lowered the quill back down to the table and tucked her wand back behind her ear. She returned to the position of sitting up erectly with her hands folded in her lap.

"I dunno if that's the right way to put it, Professor."

"Pity?"

Her eyes turned back to the ceiling with a thoughtful expression in them.

"I just feel bad that such misfortune has been laid upon those who suffer from lycanthropy. They suffer so often."

"Well, once a month. I suppose after a while it's not so bad, what with the recent invention of the Wolfsbane Potion," he responded before he could stop himself. "That has to make things easier on them…the werewolves."

Luna cocked her head to the side contemplatively. Remus could only guess the thoughts going through her head. Probably piecing together the puzzle as he spoke. Her mind was very complex. Lupin could recognize that. Complex, calculating and clever. There was no doubt in his mind that if Luna Lovegood had a hint as to his having a secret, she would be able to figure it out in a matter of seconds. Her reaction would be, as to be expected, horrified and shocked. How could she not be? A werewolf? A teacher? Hardly fitting.

There were a select amount of students that Remus Lupin desired the approval of. Harry Potter. Hermione Granger. Neville Longbottom. Any of the Weasley children-excluding Percy. Luna Lovegood was among those students. There was a simple difference between Luna and those select students though. Luna was not popular. Not in desirable way.

Harry Potter was…well, he was Harry Potter. The one who defeated the Dark Lord. The one with the potential to lead an army and the heart to inspire hundreds.

Hermione Granger was by far the cleverest witch he'd ever met.

Neville Longbottom, son of two of the former Order members with every bit as much of conviction as them.

Ron Weasley was incredibly compassionate and humorous.

Fred and George were incredibly smart and innovative.

Ginny Weasley had the perseverance of soldier.

Then there was Luna Lovegood. Ever the eternal optimist. Incredibly enough, despite her wit, humorous candor and kindness, she was rather unpopular.

"It's not just the pain they suffer, Professor Lupin. It's…society. They treat them as though lycanthropy is catching through the air. I've never met one to my knowledge…but I'm sure I have. I just haven't noticed. Do you know why, Professor?"

"Do enlighten me," he said with a warm smile.

"I haven't noticed because they're just the same as the rest of us," shrugged Luna.

Remus chuckled softly and sat atop the desk opposite of her. He massaged the bridge of his nose then shook his head slowly.

"Careful talking like that, Luna. People will think that you've gone mad."

"I don't really care too much about what people think, Professor. Even if I did, it wouldn't do much good to go trying to stop them now. They all already think I'm mad. They call me Loony Lovegood in case you haven't heard. Though I'm sure you have and are too polite to admit it," she said in her airy, ghostly voice.

"Yes, well. I'm called something similar by Peeves if you haven't noticed."

"Ah, yes. He calls you Loony Loopy Moony Lupin, doesn't he?"

Remus laughed again, nodding. The girl with miles of benevolence behind her eyes. There was another long silence between the two of them. Unlike most, Remus knew that Luna was not uncomfortable in silence. Nothing made her uncomfortable.

"What will you have me do for detention, Professor Lupin?" she asked simply.

Lupin sighed, shrugging. He'd never had to deal with detention before.

"To be perfectly honest with you, Luna, I don't have much experience with detention. I'm suspecting you don't either. So seeing as we both have very little experience with what detention entails I say we spend this time as you like. Especially since you were awarded this unfortunate appointment."

"I wouldn't call it unfortunate, Professor. Every student here agrees that you're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor we've had in years. I quite enjoy spending time with you. Actually, I enjoy spending time with most of the teachers. I particularly like Professor Trelawney. She's so thoughtful and very smart. Oh, and the ghosts too. They have such interesting stories."

He held her probing gaze for a moment more. She seemed to have a perpetual smile on her face. He was quite sure that her ghostly grin was genuine. This young woman truly saw the good in everything. Always.

"Professor, when you were a student did you enjoy talking to teachers more than your fellow students?" asked Luna propping her elbows up on the desk and letting her chin rest on her knuckles.

Remus nodded.

"Yes, I quite enjoyed spending time with my professors. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore to be more specific. I had a few student friends though. Don't you?"

Luna' mouth twisted slightly in light concentration.

"I s'pose. I do believe Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny like me. I don't really care though. It's like my mum said, 'You like you and that's all you need to fret over.' I try and go by that."

"You're mum sounds like a smart woman."

"I think you mean that she SOUNDED smart. My mum died when I was very young. She was experimenting with different spells. Then I had the misfortune of seeing one of them go horribly wrong."

Lupin's mouth pressed into a flat line. She had seen this occur? This whole scenario had played out before her eyes. Before her eyes when she was a child. How had this young witch endured such a horror and then the scrutiny of her peers only to become so bright and optimistic? She also had to put up with the criticism of her father's magazine The Quibbler. That greatly contributed to her reputation of being mad.

"You saw it happen?" he clarified.

"Yes. It's not all terrible though. I can see thestrals now. They need friends. Most people can't see them and the people who can avoid them because they seem different. I like them."

"Ah, I've seen you on the grounds with them before," remarked Lupin.

He watched as Luna's fair brow raised at him. What had he said?

"What have you experienced that has allowed you to see them?"

Remus stood and lazily walked to the front of the classroom, staring up at the dragon skeleton dangling from the ceiling.

"I've seen my fair share of horrors. I'd have to have to be this magnificent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor you all claim I am."

Luna laughed quietly before letting her arms fall to the desk, one on top of the other.

"You're quite funny sometimes, Professor."

Lupin ran his hands through his thick but greying hair as he walked to stand before Luna.

"Well, Miss Loveg-Luna, I think this is a good place to conclude your detention. Let's call it a night," smiled Lupin.

Luna stood and gathered her books, extending her hand to Professor Lupin. He shook it, grinning.

"You have kind eyes, Professor," remarked Luna.

Remus chuckled again.

"Thank you, Luna."

He was impressed by the fact that in these moments alone with him that she had not asked about the scars on his face or his frequent absences or why Peeves called him Loony Loopy _Moony_ Lupin or why Snape made so many comments about the moon and werewolves around him.

She turned on her heel and began to skip away.

"Luna," he called quietly.

She turned around, delicate brows raised in curiosity.

"It is not the judgement of our peers that defines us, but the eminence of our own principles and the pride we know ourselves to have earned."

"Who said that?" she asked interestedly.

Lupin rubbed the back of his neck, smiling wryly.

"Me."

"Ah. Well, it sounds very wise. I think I'll write it down," she said methodically.

"Goodnight, Luna," he nodded.

"Goodnight, Professor," she said starting to skip away.

Remus turned around to head back up to his office so he could catch up on the work he had missed while out 'sick,' when Luna spoke up again.

"Professor," her light voice called out.

"Yes, Luna," Lupin replied, turning around on the stairs.

She smiled at him thoughtfully.

"Remember when we were talking about werewolves?"

"Yes," he said warily.

She glanced at her shoes then back up to him.

"Well, if I had a Professor that was a werewolf and I don't think I would mind much."

He froze in his footsteps, jaw dropping just slightly. Luna Lovegood knew? She knew that he was a werewolf…and didn't 'mind much?'" And she was smiling at him? He wanted to respond, but he was too stunned. Besides, what would he even say?

"Th-thank you, Luna," he replied, astonished.

"Mmhm. Goodnight, Professor."

And with that, Luna continued to skip away leaving Lupin in complete awe.


End file.
